Just Another Statistic
by mantinemaniac
Summary: AU. Sheena was kicked out of her village and now needs money for her comatose grandfather's medical bills. Unfortunately, shady jobs seemed to be the only way, until she had a chance encounter with Zelos Wilder...


This was actually an idea that had been floating around in my head for over a year now. Although I am not obsessed with TOS anymore, this does not mean I will abandon this fic. It just means that I might hit writers block more frequently, and have long hiatus between updates. So please be patient and bear with me. Other than that, please enjoy.

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Sheena pulled her purple robes tighter as the wind continued to blow. In front of her was a Desian jerk who kept prattling on and on about how he was in charge and that she should always report to him from now on. The alley was dark and smelled worse than a compost heap, and the other members gave her unnerving looks. She could think of a dozen better places to spend a Friday evening. So, why was she here again? Oh yeah, because she needed money, after she failed to make a pact with Volt and ended up nearly destroying her village and half its villagers. Hence, why said villagers had kicked her out, despite her being the chief's granddaughter. And why her grandpa was now in a coma. And to top it all off, she had to pay for all the damage she had caused, which came to a quite a hefty amount. Man, life sure sucked.

She continued grumbling until the Desian guy's (She didn't know his name. She didn't _want_ to know his name) gravelly voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Still, you did a pretty good job, Sheena. You're not bad for a trainee," he said, narrowing his eyes at her. Sheena hoped she could leave soon.

"Uh, well, sure. No problem. Just tell me if you need me again. I'll get going now," she hastily replied, careful to keep her voice calm and even. Years of ninja training taught her never to reveal her true feelings to enemies, no matter how terrified she was.

Sheena was about to turn around and leave when he spoke again.

"You know, Sheena, you've been with us for a while now..." he trailed off. Sheena stiffened at the tone of voice, but masked her uneasiness.

"Oh, really? I...hadn't noticed. I'm still a trainee, after all," she replied, hoping he'd just let her go. She turned around, trying to make her escape, only to have one of the other Desians block her way. The main guy's voice continued.

"What's the rush, Sheena? You've yet to be..._initiated_," he drawled out, whispering in her ear. Sheena jerked away from him, and saw the hungry look in his eyes. A demented grin was on his face, and her stomach churned.

"I-initiation? Forcystus never said anything about an initiation!" she protested. Then again, she wasn't surprised. The Desians _were_ a street gang. Why would they tell her? She searched for an escape, but, much to her dismay, they had her surrounded. Damn. Their manner and speech made her nervous, and she had a sinking feeling she knew what was going to happen.

"Well, you see, Forcystus usually leaves the initiations up to us. He's too...busy for these things." The leader's grin stretched even wider, and before Sheena could react, he had tied her arms behind her back and forced her onto her stomach.

"So we'll be taking care of this, won't we, boys?" The other members laughed, a sickening sound. Sheena was scared, but felt her rage rise to the top. She was a ninja, one of the best! There was no way these guys were going to have their way with her! In one swift move, she flipped herself over and sprang to her feet. The Desians were surprised, but quickly swarmed her. She did her best to keep them at bay, kicking and dodging, but her bound hands left her at a huge disadvantage. She could see the exit to the street, but it was currently blocked by three figures.

"Too bad, Sheena. This whole deal would've gone smoother had you cooperated."

"I'd hardly call letting you rape me smooth!" she spat, swinging a roundhouse kick into his face.

"You bitch! You'll pay for that!" The three Desians jumped her at the same time, pinning her to the ground. Sheena wrestled her head free and started screaming, hoping that someone would hear her.

"Shut up!" The leader slapped her face roughly, stunning her. She felt cold air where her clothes were being ripped. The sounds of belt buckles and dark chuckles made her sick, but her strength was starting to wane. Two of them were holding her down, and she couldn't will her body to move. A wave of grief and shame washed over her, and angry tears flowed down her cheeks.

'Damnit! How could I let myself get into this situation!' she silently cried. She was fighting back the tears when suddenly she heard a shout of surprise from the Desians.

"Three of you bastards picking on one lady? My, how low, even for you guys." The weight on top her suddenly disappeared, and she heard the grunts and thuds of the Desians being thrown. She looked up, and saw a man with brilliant red hair, holding a sword in one hand.

"You SOBs will leave her alone if you know what's good for you," he threatened, his voice calm, but sharp as knives. His blue eyes had a hardened glint to them, as if daring them to try him. The Desians either didn't notice or didn't care, for they rushed him, knives flashing.

"Look out!" Sheena yelled, struggling to get to her feet. He managed to dodge them and swung his sword, leaving a nasty gash on someone's chest.

"Die!" The leader charged at him, but was easily dodged by the man.

"Take this! Hell Pyre!" A burst of flame shot out from his sword, burning the assailant to a crisp. The rest of the gang paused, wary of the newcomer, but still seeking vengeance. The man walked over to Sheena and picked her up, setting her on her feet.

"You all right there?" he asked, and cut off her bindings with his sword.

"Y-yeah, thanks," she managed to get out. _This_ was unexpected.

"All right, listen up you losers. Why don't you guys crawl back to whatever hole you came out of? I don't want to have to waste any more of my time dealing you scum like you," he boldly shouted, casually flipping back his red hair. "Unless becoming well-done sounds appealing to you?" He narrowed his eyes, raising one delicately manicured eyebrow.

"D-damn you! You'll pay for this!" the Desians yelled lamely, before scurrying out of the alley like rats. Satisfied that they weren't going to come back, the man turned to face Sheena.

"Well, they won't be bothering you anymore. What's your name?" he asked, while sheathing his sword. Sheena noticed the sheath was white with a beautiful gold tassel attached.

"Huh? Oh, my name is Sheena. Thanks for your help back there. If you hadn't come along..." she squeezed her eyes shut, mostly because of what her fate might've been, but also because she felt like a failure for letting herself get beat like that. She suddenly felt the cold cut into her exposed skin, where her clothes had been ripped, and grabbed at the loose ends. The man seemed to notice.

"Here, take this," he offered, sliding out of his long pink vest, "it'll keep you warm." He draped it over her shoulders, gently closing up the front.

"No, it's okay, I don't need it," Sheena protested, although she had to admit it felt great. Plus, it smelled good.

"Nonsense. What kind of gleaming knight would I be if I let a lady go out into the cold like that?" Despite her crappy day, Sheena found herself smiling a bit at his speech.

"But how can I return it to you?" He waved it off as if it were nothing.

"I won't hear of it. Keep it. Consider it a gift from a knight to his lady," he replied dramatically. He was about to continue when his cell phone suddenly rang. Checking the caller ID, he cursed silently and turned back to Sheena.

"Sorry to cut this short, but it appears I must go. I'd love for us to meet again, though. Here's my card. If you really want to return that, you'll know where to find me." He reached into his pants pocket and drew out a business card, which he placed into Sheena's hands.

"Well, I certainly hope to see you again, my voluptuous hunny."

He winked, and was gone before Sheena could even process what had just happened. She looked down at the card.

"Zelos...Wilder?" she read the name aloud. It sounded slightly familiar, but she couldn't place where she had heard it before. Her mind wandered back to their conversation, and to his parting words...she looked up with a start.

"Wait a minute! Did he just hit on me!"


End file.
